The PPK Muslims (Proud, Practicing, Knowledgable)

THE HOLY QURAN ON THE CONCEPTS AND PRACTICE OF TAWAKKUL IN THE DAILY LIFE OF MUSLIMS

THE HOLY QURAN
ON THE CONCEPTS AND PRACTICE OF TAWAKKUL
IN THE DAILY LIFE OF MUSLIMS
ABSTRACT

The ayah “”And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine (expect). And if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish (attain) his purpose: verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion.” is yet another beautiful ayah depicting the attractive style of the Holy Quran: concise and lucid while clearly enunciating multiple directives. It is dwelling on two very important issues of “Tawakkul alal-Lah” and Predistination. Both of these topics have generated a lot of heated debate and controversy over the centuries in Islamic scholarship. Some of the view points and attitudes that have emerged, though popular and well accepted are definitely detrimental to the spiritual and mundane health of the Muslims.

“Tawakkul alal-Lah” is mandatory on the Believers and not optional. A million dollar question follows immediately: What is Tawakkul? “Look for sustenance and do not sit around in the masaajid claiming that you are putting your trust in Allah” and “Tawakkul (Trust in Allah) does not mean to forsake the causes and means Allah has created for us to acquire things” are some of the scholarly explanations.

Similarly, the Islamic scholarship does see a definite role of “tadbeer” (effort) in addition to “taqdeer” (fate) in the life of humans. Yet fatalism remains a strong belief in large sections of the Muslim community. Why? Because, to a certain extent the index verse and many others do upheld the idea of Predestination.

Then why should we not believe in it? To find the answer the article looks for Quranic advice and instructions on the extent of human effort and personal responsibility. Ten different ayahs are quoted to bring out a loud and clear the message that Allah Ta’aala is in Full Control of every inch of the Universe and on every soul on it. Nothing can happen or move unless HE wishes and permits. However in HIS eternal wisdom and as part of HIS design and purpose to create Mankind HE has decided to give full liberty and choice of action to the people (yaaa ayyow han-naas) to choose between right and wrong till the Day of Judgement when man will accordingly be rewarded or punished. Finally (Notice: human reason ends here; Pure Faith begins) our Lord and Creator already knows upfront which soul, born or to be born is going to see the light and which one will go astray. Our Holy Text declares“……..Verily, Allah is the All-Knower of everything.”

Read ONLY, IF AND WHEN you have time and mood for:

“An Ayah of the Quran for 30 Days” -- May 2015

Choose the section you have time, in the next 30 days to read this ayah:-

Prelude: Recurrent Primary Message 1st. Page

Starting Dua, a note & The Ayah 2nd. Page

A Short Version: For the Busy Bee Two Pages

The Main Story: Recommended Three+ Pages

Footnotes: For the Perfectionist Two Pages

PRELUDE

From the Pen and Perspective of a self-styled PPK Muslim (Proud, Practicing, Knowledgeable) with a humble submission that Islam totally rejects Blind Following BUT vigorously focusses on the Limitations of Pure Human Reasoning..............and clearly and comprehensively AlLAH knows best.

In the beginning of the seventh century C.E., the folks of Mecca and Medina had a fascinatingly unique window: they had direct access to the Heavens through one of their own. They were blessed with a regular stream of Divine counseling and guidelines. Question and answer sessions were part of the program. Even individual questioner was graced by an answer. In the short Introduction to this scheme they were assured that at the end of this twenty-two year project, Divine Directions and Admonitions will continue through the agency of the PEN. The whole discourse has been preserved and archived till eternity under the guarantee of our Lord and Creator. This record in known as the Quran.

It should sound unbelievable but factually appears to be true: Many of our prevalent, widespread and important concepts and opinions about religious matters do not have a basis in the Quran and sometimes even appear to be in obvious conflict with the teachings of the Quran. It would be very educative and helpful to discuss an Ayah once a month to see if it supports or rejects our views and actions in our daily life. I wish and hope this email generates a fruitful interactive discussion.

In the name of Allah, we praise HIM, seek HIS help and ask for HIS forgiveness. Whosoever Allah guideth none can misguide; whosoever HE allows to fall astray, none can guide him right. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah alone and we bear witness that Mohammed, SAW is HIS slave-servant and the Seal of HIS Messengers.

Further, we recall that Allah Ta’aala has declared in HIS Book¹ “He granteth wisdom to whom He pleaseth; and he to whom wisdom is granted receiveth indeed a benefit overflowing; but none will grasp the Message (or remember or receive admonition) but men of understanding (or intellect)” and we also recall that he has warned us about the day of judgement² “Then on that day you shall most certainly be questioned about the boons (joy, pleasure).” We realise, that there cannot be a greater boon or blessing or benefit than wisdom and we wonder if this should be a timely reminder to very many of us sincere and practicing Muslims who use our critical thinking to enhance the mundane for ourselves and our families but resort to compulsory following -- taqleed, doctrine of classical Sunni Islamic Fiqh -- in matters religion.

(NOTE: I have filtered out the proofs and details into the Footnotes for those who have the time and interest for them. The main email will then be reasonable length, hopefully for the busy majority. What follows is not a sermon; I do not feel qualified to give one, anyhow. I wish, it may provide a food for thought. A caveat seems in order: If the ayah selected pertains to issues we face in our daily life with our family, friends, neighbours or peers it may affect us personally and lead to some self analysis and soul searching which in turn could be divisive and distressing. If taken in the right spirit, it can be a humble attempt towards finding the “straight path”.)

THE AYAH

Surah At-Talaq 65, Ayah 3

”And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine (expect). And if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish (attain) his purpose: verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion.” Yusuf Ali

A SHORT VERSION

“I am convinced about the veracity of my opinions, but I do consider it likely that they may turn out to be incorrect. Likewise, I am convinced about the incorrectness of the views different from mine, but I do concede the possibility that they may turn out to be correct.” — Imam Shafa’i

Yet another beautiful ayah depicting the attractive style of the Holy Quran: concise and lucid while clearly enunciating multiple directives. Unfortunately some flawed conclusions about Divine Trust (Tawakkul) and Predestination from this ayah have gained wide and general acceptance resulting in inertia and sluggishness almost deadness in our individual and communal life. It is a good ayah, therefore for discussion.

In this verse Allah Ta’aala declares sequentially that:

1] HE provides for us, all of us, Muslims and non-Muslims in ways, means and timings quite unknown to us —limited or unlimited

2] If we put our trust in HIM, we will be taken care of fully and completely by our Lord and Creator

3] It is no problem for the All-Powerful and Omnipresent to accomplish whatever HE wants, however HE wants and wherever HE wants. And lastly

4] HE has already drawn the boundaries for all the things to follow.

This verse is dwelling on two very important issues of “Tawakkul alal-Lah” and Predistination. Both of these topics have generated a lot of heated debate and controversy over the centuries in Islamic scholarship. Some of the view points and attitudes that have emerged, though popular and well accepted are definitely detrimental to the spiritual and mundane health of the Muslims.

Elsewhere in the Holy Text, Bari Ta’aala commands us to practice “Tawakkul alal-Lah”:⁴

“…….. So put your trust (in Allah) if ye are indeed believers.” and⁵

“……..And on Allah let all men of faith put their trust.”

Thus it becomes mandatory on the Believers to put our trust in Allah Ta’aala Subhanahoo; it is not optional. A million dollar question follows immediately: What is Tawakkul?

In his commentary on a related ayah:⁶

“……So seek from Allah provision and worship Him……..”

Shaikh Saalih Al-Fawzaan, a Saudi Arabian scholar with Masters and Doctorate in Fiqh states “Look for sustenance and do not sit around in the masaajid claiming that you are putting your trust in Allah. Do not sit in your homes and claim that your daily sustenance will come to you. This is wrong and a true believer doesn’t say such things.” (Haqeeqat-ut-Tawakkul)

Mufti Mohammed Shafi has similar opinion: “In this verse Allah promises those who put their trust in Him that He shall suffice for them against all odds, because Allah will execute His decisions that He made for them, in whatever way He wills and chooses. Allah set a measure for all things. It is in accordance with this set measure that He decrees all acts.” As an endorsement of his views he quotes a hadith from Tirmidhi and Ibn Majjah narrated by Sayyidna Umar that “Allah's Messenger said: “If you trust in Allah as He ought to be trusted, He will provide for you in the same way as He provides for the birds. They leave their nests while hungry in the mornings, but come back in the evenings with their bellies full.” He then adds his explanatory comments: “Tawakkul (Trust in Allah) does not mean to forsake the causes and means Allah has created for us to acquire things. One should utilise the means at our disposal. However, instead of relying solely on them, one should rather put his trust in Allah, in that no task shall be accomplished unless Allah wills it.”

Even though the majority of Muslim scholars and Mujtahedeen have similar views conditioning “tawakkul” to personal effort and endeavour, a large majority of Muslims interpret is as a license for inactivity; a “pious” excuse to do nothing. “Just Leave it to God” is recommended as a very noble act for a pious Muslim. The other day I was discussing in an email with a young lady about the causes and remedy for the current deplorable position of our Community of Faith. After a few sentences, her answer was “Have tawakkul; Allah will not let Islam down for long; Islam will come up!!”

Another important and erroneous and widespread concept floating around among Muslims based on this ayah and others like it is that of Fate or Predestination. Thus goes the logic behind this interpretation of the ayah: Allah Ta’aala, the Omnipotent and Omnipresent is in total control of our lives, has carved out our lives in advance from birth to death and we just cannot deviate from it. Hence humans are just supposed to wait and watch. As in case of Tawakkul, to the best of my knowledge the Islamic scholarship does see a definite role of “tadbeer” (effort) in addition to “taqdeer” (fate) in the life of humans. Yet fatalism remains a strong belief in large sections of the Muslim community. To a certain extent the index verse and many others do upheld the idea of Predestination. Then why should we not believe in it? This brings in another important principle of tafseer i.e. understanding of the message of our Holy Text: a comprehensive look at all the verses of the Quran pertaining to a problem have to be considered before coming to any conclusions. Hence, for our present discussion we must look for Quranic advice and instructions on the extent of human effort and personal responsibility. Let us do that before we make a final decision.

A clear announcement of liberty of action:⁸

“……..Do whatever you will; indeed, He is Seeing of what you do.” and

And a refusal of Divine help unless you help yourself:⁹

“Because Allah will never change the grace which He hath bestowed on a people until they change what is in their (own) souls: and verily Allah is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things).”

Announcing the liability for one’s actions:¹⁰

“That is for what your hands have put forth and because Allah is not ever unjust to [His] servants.”

Allah Ta’aala herein gives a clear choice to humans to choose:¹¹

“Indeed, We sent down to you the Book for the people in truth. So whoever is guided - it is for [the benefit of] his soul; and whoever goes astray only goes astray to its detriment. And you are not a manager over them.” Sahih International and

Finally, a clear Divine declaration of personal responsibility:¹²

Say: "Shall I seek for (my) Cherisher other than Allah, when He is the Cherisher of all things (that exist)? Every soul draws the meed (reward; recompense) of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear of burdens can bear the burden of another. Your goal in the end is towards Allah: He will tell you the truth of the things wherein ye disputed." Yusuf Ali

permits. However in HIS eternal wisdom and as part of HIS design and purpose to create Mankind HE has decided to give full liberty and choice of action to the people ( yaaa ayyow han-naas) to choose between right and wrong till the Day of Judgement when he will accordingly be rewarded or punished. Finally (Notice: human reason ends here; Pure Faith begins) our Lord and Creator already knows upfront which soul, born or to be born is going to see the light and which one will go astray. Our Holy Text declares¹³“……..Verily, Allah is the All-Knower of everything.”

........and Allah knows best.

May Allah Ta’aala bless us with true understanding--“fahm”--of our Deen, Aameen.

THE MAIN STORY

In this verse Allah Ta’aala declares sequentially that:

1] HE provides for us, all of us, Muslims and non-Muslims in ways, means and timings quite unknown to us —limited or unlimited

2] If we put our trust in HIM, we will be taken care of fully and completely by our Lord and Creator

3] It is no problem for the All-Powerful and Omnipresent to accomplish whatever HE wants, however HE wants and wherever HE wants. And lastly

4] HE has already drawn the boundaries for all the things to follow.

Many of the ayahs of the Quran have a specific meaning relevant to the reason for its revelation. But all of these have as well a role for application in other situations. The index ayah is the third in Surah Talaaq. Hence it is initially read as injunctions and guidance in matters of Divorce. However it has wider and very significant other applications . As Mufti Mohammed Shafi has stated “This occasion of revelation indicates that this verse, though related to divorcing situation in this context, has general application for all circumstances.” I intend to concentrate here on the important general implications of this verse in the life of a Muslim.

Our Holy Text is not an ordinary book with a set pattern of a prelude, an introduction, chapters, index and a bibliography. It is a miracle from Allah Ta’aala Subhanahoo given to our Holy Prophet. It therefore has a characteristic style of reading and studying, depending on who you are and what are you looking for. An intending Hafiz is concerned with parts (paraa) of the Quran only; thirty of them and equal. If you are reading and studying the Quran A to Z, then Surah by Surah is the way to go about. Here again different Mufassirs have adopted different style because each Surah covers different problems faced by Muslims over a period of time. Most exegists deal the subject ayah by ayah. Mufti Mohammed Shafi has followed a different style in his Ma’aariful Quran. As he is going through a Surah, he combines ayahs with similar contents and translates and discusses them as a group. Lastly when you want to live your Deen, when you are looking for guidance from the Book in the market place, when you are on the hunt for the do’s and don’ts of Islam then individual ayahs are our targets. It may be one ayah, part of an ayah, a group of ayah, sequential or spread across the Holy Book. In other words you have to “google” the Quran. If you do that for “riba” you will find seven ayahs in Surah Al-Baqaraa, two in Surah Al-Nisa, one in Surah Al-Imraan and one way out in Surah Al-Rum. Try “hijab” and you will have three hits in Surah Al-Ahzab and perhaps equal number in Surah Al-Noor. The index ayah that we are discussing today is different from all of these. It has to be combined, as done by Mufti Mohammed Shafi to the last part of the previous ayah to understand the full significance:³

“……..And whoever fears Allah, for him Allah brings forth a way out”

So now the translation gains additional and meaningful weight:

“And whoever fears Allah, for him Allah brings forth a way out / and gives him provision (of his needs) from where he does not even imagine” (last part of ayah 2/first part of ayah 3)

Elsewhere in the Holy Text, Bari Ta’aala commands us to practice “Tawakkul alal-Lah”:⁴

“…….. So put your trust (in Allah) if ye are indeed believers.” and⁵

“……..And on Allah let all men of faith put their trust.”

Thus it becomes mandatory on the Believers to put our trust in Allah Ta’aala Subhanahoo; it is not optional. A million dollar question follows immediately: What is Tawakkul?

In his commentary on a related ayah:⁶

“……So seek from Allah provision and worship Him……..”

A very good example of the proper time and need of Tawakkul is provided by the verse:⁷

“Those unto whom men said: Lo! the people have gathered against you, therefor fear them. (The threat of danger) but increased the faith of them and they cried: Allah is Sufficient for us! Most Excellent is He in Whom we trust!” Pickthall

This verse indices that in the face of a calamity the sequence of actions is reversed. Our mainstay in such a situation is our utter trust in Allah as our savior. It will help us to keep our morale which in turn will guide us to our second step: to plan to respond and fight it out.

It is worth noting that our mundane efforts accompanying tawakkul should also include Ibadah like Salah, Du’a (supplication), Sadaqah and other well known good deeds enjoined by our Deen such as good ties with relatives and neighbours etc.

A clear announcement of liberty of action:⁸

“……..Do whatever you will; indeed, He is Seeing of what you do.” and

“Proofs have come unto you from your Lord, so whoso seeth, it is for his own good, and whoso is blind is blind to his own hurt. And I am not a keeper (watcher, guardian) over you.” Pickthall

And a refusal of Divine help unless you help yourself:⁹

“Because Allah will never change the grace which He hath bestowed on a people until they change what is in their (own) souls: and verily Allah is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things).”

Announcing the liability for one’s actions:¹⁰

“That is for what your hands have put forth and because Allah is not ever unjust to [His] servants.”

Allah Ta’aala herein gives a clear choice to humans to choose:¹¹

“And to recite the Quran, so whosoever receives guidance, receives it for the good of his own self, and whosoever goes astray, say (to him): "I am only one of the warners.” Muhsin Khan and

Say: "O you mankind! Now truth (i.e. the Quran and Prophet Muhammad SAW), has come to you from your Lord. So whosoever receives guidance, he does so for the good of his own self, and whosoever goes astray, he does so to his own loss, and I am not (set) over you as a Wakil (disposer of affairs to oblige you for guidance).” Muhsin Khan and

“Whoever is guided is only guided for [the benefit of] his soul. And whoever errs only errs against it. And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. And never would We punish until We sent a messenger.” Sahih International

Finally, a clear Divine declaration of personal responsibility:¹²

I think — and I hope you also do — the message is loud and clear. Allah Ta’aala is in Full Control of every inch of the Universe and on every soul on it. Nothing can happen or move unless HE wishes and permits. However in HIS eternal wisdom and as part of HIS design and purpose to create Mankind HE has decided to give full liberty and choice of action to the people ( yaaa ayyow han-naas) to choose between right and wrong till the Day of Judgement when he will accordingly be rewarded or punished. Finally (Notice: human reason ends here; Pure Faith begins) our Lord and Creator already knows upfront which soul, born or to be born is going to see the light and which one will go astray. Our Holy Text declares¹³

“……..Verily, Allah is the All-Knower of everything.”

........and Allah knows best.

May Allah Ta’aala bless us with true understanding--“fahm”--of our Deen, Aameen.

FOOTNOTES

(1) Surah 2/269

(2) Surah 102/8

(3) Surah 65/2 (last part of the ayah)

وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجعَل لَهُ مَخرَجًا

(4) Surah 5/23 (the last part of the verse)

وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَتَوَكَّلُوا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ﴾

(5) Surah 14/11 (the last part of the verse)

وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ

(6) Surah 29/17 (part of the ayah)

فَابْتَغُوا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الرِّزْقَ وَاعْبُدُوهُ

(7) Surah 3/173

(8) Surah 41/40 (part of the ayah)

اعْمَلُوا مَا شِئْتُمْ إِنَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِير

Surah 6/104

قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ بَصَائِرُ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ فَمَنْ أَبْصَرَ فَلِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ عَمِيَ فَعَلَيْهَا وَمَا أَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ بِحَفِيظٍ

(9) Surah 8/53

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَكُ مُغَيِّرًا نِعْمَةً أَنْعَمَهَا عَلَى قَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

(10) Surah 3/182

ذَلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِ

(11) Surah 27/92

وَأَنْ أَتْلُوَ الْقُرْآَنَ فَمَنِ اهْتَدَى فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ ضَلَّ فَقُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُنْذِرِينَ

Surah 39/41

إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ لِلنَّاسِ بِالْحَقِّ فَمَنِ اهْتَدَى فَلِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِوَكِيلٍ

Surah 10/108

قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَكُمُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ فَمَنِ اهْتَدَى فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا وَمَا أَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ بِوَكِيلٍ

Surah 17/15

مَنِ اهْتَدَى فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًا

(12) Surah 6/164

قُلْ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَبْغِي رَبًّا وَهُوَ رَبُّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَلَا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلَّا عَلَيْهَا وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ

(13) Surah 29/62

إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

THE GOAL AND RULES OF DA'WAA NEED REASON AND LOGIC TO REACH THE BAR RAISED BY THE HOLY QURAN

THE GOAL AND RULES OF DA'WAA

NEED REASON AND LOGIC TO REACH THE BAR

RAISED BY THE HOLY QURAN

Subject: Read ONLY, IF AND WHEN you have time and mood for:

“An Ayah of the Quran for 30 Days” -- April 2015

Choose the section you have time, in the next 30 days to read this ayah:-

Prelude: Recurrent Primary Message 1st. Page

Starting Dua, a note & The Ayah 2nd. Page

A Short Summary: For the Busy Bee Three Pages

The Main Story: Recommended Three Pages

Footnotes: For the Perfectionist One + Pages

PRELUDE

THE AYAH

Surah 10, Ayah 99

If it had been thy Lord's will, they would all have believed,- all who are on earth! wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe! Yousuf Ali

A SHORT VERSION

The translation does not seem to adequately reflect the weight and intensity of the phrase “kullu-hum jamee’aan” in the original text. The ayah is emphasising that if Allah had willed so, the whole humanity on the earth would have been Believers “all of them, each one of them”. Before I proceed let us make it “two ayahs for thirty days” for this month as the next ayah is complimentary to it and further elaborates its message.³

“And it is not for a soul to believe except by permission of Allah , and He will place defilement upon those who will not use reason”. Sahih International.

These two beautiful and concise ayahs are dwelling on four important issues that we all face currently on the ground. Each one of them illustrates the point I have made out in the recurring Prelude : “Many of our prevalent, widespread and important concepts and opinions about religious matters do not have a basis in the Quran and sometimes even appear to be in obvious conflict with the teachings of the Quran.”

Allah Ta’aala makes it very clear in these verses that HE does not need our help to control the census of Muslims on the planet. Every individual joins Islam of his freewill or, as a natural, essential and logical corollary opt out of it on his freewill. On the on the other hand, our Creator has defined very clearly what HE does want us to do in this regard and how to do it.⁴

“Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.” Yusuf Ali

We are commanded only to invite or call mankind to our Deen. Please note the high and laudable bar that Allah Ta’aala has raised for us in the practice of Da’waa. It has to be a “beautiful preaching” done with “wisdom” and delivered “in ways that are best and most gracious”. At the end of the verse, the Omnipotent reminds us that it is not our business to worry about the outcome of our Da’waa for HE knows “who have strayed from His Path and who receive guidance”.

It is difficult even to imagine how can gangs like ISIS etc. can claim to be the custodians of Faith and go about enforcing it brutally under the banner of Allah-o-Akbar. “Death for the renegade” is another “scholarly” and widely held opinion which runs directly against the Quranic injunctions we are discussing in this verse. As a matter of fact it is contrary to the core teachings of Islam. More over it deprives us of the right of Da’waa. According to the Islamic principles of justice we give them a right to stop conversion if we ourselves are doing it. Justice is one of the fundamental Principles of Islam. I doubt if any other religion or ideology can match the Islamic emphasis on justice; none can surpass it, I am sure. Allow me to quote two verses to prove my point.⁵

“O ye who believe! stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.” Yousuf Ali

Kindly note the high standards of Justice that Allah Ta’aala is demanding from us, the Believers:

(1) As witness to Allah!!! (2) Stand up firmly for justice (3) Even if it goes against yourself, or your parents or relatives (can you even conceive a higher level than this) (4) Irrespective of considerations like poverty or wealth (5) Ignoring personal inclinations or desires and lastly (6) Not trying to twist or mince words or veer away from this duty. Not many of us mortals can meet these standards. But all of us have a duty to our Creator to try to achieve this standard of justice. Justice for whom? for Muslims? of course; for non-Muslims? Well!; for our enemies? What!!! But this is exactly what our Lord and Creator has ordained us to do; be just to our foes. Listen to what the “Rab-bul Aalameen” (Lord of the Worlds) is expecting from us:⁶

“O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah , witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do.” Yousuf Ali

Subhan-al-Allah! What a clear and emphatic injunction in the imperative tense. We are commanded to stand up firmly for Allah, be witness for justice and clearly prohibited to deny justice on the basis of enmity or hatred. As if this is not enough Bari Ta’aala additionally endorses it with a single-word direct command: “a’diloo” i.e. be just/act justly/act equitably. Notwithstanding, all our protestation and passion for Islam, actually in practice we tend to ignore, either as weakness or carelessness such clear orders and instructions from God Almighty.

The ayah then continues to emphasize and reinforce this principle of freedom of religion in a very personal and effective style. Instead of directly prohibiting the Believers, Allah Ta’aala Subhanahoo seems to apparently chastise HIS own Beloved Messenger “wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe!” What a beautiful, impressive and compelling style of proscribing us from forcing Islam on others. Compare the reality on the ground. Not only a particular brand of Muslims is bent on pillage, plunder and murder for this reason but “death for the apostate” is regarded and practiced (mercifully not very often) as a tenet of our Shari’ah. What a blot on the wonderful religion of Islam in clear opposition to the teachings of our Holy Text.

The next ayah quoted above describes another cogent reason why humans should not compel other humans in or out of Islam. It says:

“And it is not for a soul to believe except by permission of Allah”.

It is declared that every soul needs the permission/leave of Allah “to believe”; it is the will of Allah that is the deciding factor in this matter. It is in the Devine domain and not in Human sphere. The transmission of the Message is Human responsibility; the execution is a Divine prerogative. Those who kill because of non-Belief as well as those who kill because of walking out of Belief are in fact playing God!

The second part of this ayah is very crucial. Crucial because it is the footing and foundation to understand our Deen, crucial because it is emphatically announced and repeated all over our Holy Text, crucial because it was officially and publicly (and very surprisingly) renounced by the leading Islamic scholars and jurists of the tenth century under the label of “Taqleed”, crucial because this renunciation of this part of the ayah is pretty widespread —inadvertently or deliberately — not only in the ignorant masses and the Madrasah graduates but also in the University alumni. As you will recall, in these two verses we were discussing about Belief and Eemaan. Note, what Allah Ta’aala has added as a closing remark to this topic of Belief:

and He will place defilement upon those who will not use reason”.

Straight from a discussion on Eemaan to a reminder of the practice Reason in very strong and blunt terms: announcing defilement/wrath/uncleanliness/abomination of those who do not reason. Why? Why this shift from a discussion on Eemaan to a powerful reference to Reason. The answer is there in the Text itself. The All Knowing and the All Powerful has repeatedly and clearly declared through out the Text that one needs to intelligently think to understand and gain and profit from the Quran:¹

“…….but none will grasp the Message (or remember or receive admonition) but men of understanding (or intellect)”

The Quran constantly keeps appealing to our Reason, Understanding and Intellect as an essential ingredient to comprehend what the Text —the Quran — is trying to say. We need to think and ponder if we want to learn and gain form our Holy Book. However, as a caveat the limitations of Human Reason have to be duly stressed and understood. If this is not clearly visualised, Reason will jettison you miles away from Eemaan.

........and Allah knows best.

May Allah Ta’aala bless us with true understanding--“fahm”--of our Deen, Aameen.

ALLAH HAFIZ

Dr. Khalid Mitha

THE MAIN STORY

“And it is not for a soul to believe except by permission of Allah , and He will place defilement upon those who will not use reason”. Sahih International.

Some authors have called it “Leave of Allah” or “will of Allah” instead of permission of Allah . Apart from “defilement” the word “ar-rijsa” has been rendered as “the wrath”, “uncleanness”, “doubt (or obscurity)” and “abomination”. Mufti Mohammed Shafi calls it “spiritual uncleanliness” (in his original Urdu translation). The Arabic word “yaa’qiloon”,familiar to Urdu speaking people is also translated as “who are heedless”, “who have no sense”, “who will not understand” and “who do not consider”.

Freedom of religion and freedom of conscience in Islam is writ all over the Quran. The verses quoted here are just a taste of it. Contrast these glorious teachings of the All Knowing and Omnipresent with the conduct of HIS followers in HIS name on the surface of the earth. It is difficult even to imagine how can gangs like ISIS, Boko Haram, Al Shabab, Taliban and Al-Qaeeda can claim to be the custodians of Faith and go about enforcing it brutally under the banner of Allah-o-Akbar. What is worst is the fact that many many educated and good and sincere Muslims have some degree of overt or covert sympathy and justification for these bodies probably due to the pent up anti-West and anti-American sentiments most of us justifiably have in-turn due to the Western political escapades and exploitation of the third world.

“Death for the renegade” is another “scholarly” and widely held opinion which runs directly against the Quranic injunctions we are discussing in this verse. As a matter of fact it is contrary to the core teachings of Islam. More over it deprives us of the right of Da’waa. If you do not allow one of yours to go to the other side under the threat of death, why should the other side allow one of their to come over to you. If you do not allow conversion outside your religion why should others allow that. That, others have not stopped us from proselytization is because of their adherence to the “Islamic” principle of freedom of religion. They might change and start doing exactly that in the future. As a matter of fact there has been a movement in one of the States in India to ban conversion from Hinduism. According to the Islamic principles of justice we give them a right to stop conversion if we ourselves are doing it. Justice is one of the fundamental Principles of Islam. I doubt if any other religion or ideology can match the Islamic emphasis on justice; none can surpass it, I am sure. Allow me to quote two verses to prove my point.⁵

Kindly note the high standards of Justice that Allah Ta’aala is demanding from us, the Believers:

1) As witness to Allah!!!

2) Stand up firmly for justice

3) Even if it goes against yourself, or your parents or relatives (can you even conceive a higher level than this)

4) Irrespective of considerations like poverty or wealth

5) Ignoring personal inclinations or desires and lastly

6) Not trying to twist or mince words or veer away from this duty.

Not many of us mortals can meet these standards. But all of us have a duty to our Creator to try to achieve this standard of justice. Justice for whom? for Muslims? of course; for non-Muslims? Well!; for our enemies? What!!! But this is exactly what our Lord and Creator has ordained us to do; be just to our foes. Listen to what the “Rab-bul Aalameen” (Lord of the Worlds) is expecting from us:⁶

At Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, the Faculty of Medicine had organized an hour of Quranic Study Session every Friday. At one of our meetings America was receiving some strong condemnation on a certain issue. I pointed out that we are being unjust in our criticism while our Deen wants us to be fair even to our enemies. I then quoted this ayah. There was immediate and spontaneous burst of loud laughter in the room. I was shocked and speechless; I did not know how to respond. How can a group of Muslims burst into laughter on hearing an ayah of the Quran. Does it not suggest that their feelings of hostility against America was stronger than their love and respect for the Quran? I do not know. After a pause one of the lady participants said “you have quoted the correct ayah but given a wrong example”. This was not a veiled woman from a Madrasah but a well dressed lady educated in the West. However I was too confused to discuss any further. I remain confused even today. How can you laugh at a Quranic ayah even if you think it has been misquoted?

The ayah then continues to emphasize and reinforce this principle of freedom of religion (“No compulsion in religion”; come, of your freewill; go out, of your freewill; you are accountable to your Creator on the Day of Judgement and not to your fellow human being on the surface of this earth) in a very personal and effective style. Instead of directly prohibiting the Believers, Allah Ta’aala Subhanahoo seems to apparently chastise HIS own Beloved Messenger “wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe!” What a beautiful, impressive and compelling style of proscribing us from forcing Islam on others. Compare the reality on the ground. Not only a particular brand of Muslims is bent on pillage, plunder and murder for this reason but “death for the apostate” is regarded and practiced (mercifully not very often) as a tenet of our Shari’ah. What a blot on the wonderful religion of Islam in clear opposition to the teachings of our Holy Text. It sounds very arrogant of an ordinary Muslim like me to refute the fatwa of leading Imams and scholars. But I have a clear direction to support my stance from the distinguished and outstanding sage in Islam, the closest friend and companion of our Holy Prophet and second only to him the Rightly Guided First Caliph Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique who advised in his very first Khutba on his election as the Leader of the Ummah “...... So if I do the right thing and help me. If I do wrong then put me straight...... As long as I obey Allah and His messenger, you should obey me, and if I do not obey Allah and His messenger, then obedience to me is not incumbent upon you……..”. He was addressing the rank and file of the infant Ummah of that time and advised and guided each one of them to check him whether he was following the Quran and Sunnah. If not, no one was required to follow him. The later Imams and Scholars cannot claim a stature above him. These scholars have based their opinion about the Murtid on a controversial interpretation of a historical event under Caliph Abu Bakr ignoring or over ruling what we have discussed herein. I rest my case.

The next ayah quoted above describes another cogent reason why humans should not compel other humans in or out of Islam. It says:

“And it is not for a soul to believe except by permission of Allah”.

It is declared that every soul needs the permission/leave of Allah “to believe”; it is the will of Allah that is the deciding factor in this matter. It is in the Devine domain and not in Human sphere. God Almighty could have created mankind like the Angels: all alike and grounded in Faith. Instead, the All-Knowing and All-Wise, in HIS over all design and working of the Universe has bequeathed Free Will to Humans, has endowed mankind with intellect and thinking as opposed to the animals who can only follow their instincts and has set out rules of conduct leading to Faith or UnFaith. The paths have been laid by HIM — both the good and the bad — but the choice remains with the mortal. However our wish and will by themselves are not enough to reach our goal; we have to ask and pray for HIS guidance. To quote Yousuf Ali “……Hence Faith becomes a moral achievement, and to resist Faith becomes a sin. As a complementary proposition, men of Faith must not be impatient or angry if they have to contend against Unfaith, and most important of all, they must guard against the temptation of forcing Faith, i.e., imposing it on others by physical compulsion, or any other forms of compulsion such as social pressure, or inducements held out by wealth or position, or other adventitious advantages. Forced faith is no faith. They should strive spiritually and let God’s Plan work as He wills.” Take home message is clear: the transmission of the Message is Human responsibility; the execution is a Divine prerogative. Those who kill because of non-Belief as well as those who kill because of walking out of Belief are in fact playing God!

and He will place defilement upon those who will not use reason”.

“…….but none will grasp the Message (or remember or receive admonition) but men of understanding (or intellect)”

It is interesting to note that Mufti Mohammed Shafi does not have any comments to offer on these two ayahs in his eight volume Tafseer. Syed Kutub has adequately dealt with these verses in his marathon Tafseer but has not noted any relevance of these ayahs to our current problems.

........and Allah knows best.

May Allah Ta’aala bless us with true understanding--“fahm”--of our Deen, Aameen.

ALLAH HAFIZ

Dr. Khalid Mitha

FOOTNOTES

(1) Surah 2/269